Ways of forming imperatives
There are no special imperative verb forms or imperative sentence structures in Navajo. Any sentence with a second or a fourth person subject can be understood as imperative as long as the meaning of the rest of the sentence allows it.
Navajo has sentences that can be used as commands or requests, formed with a second person subject, with the verb in certain modes. There also are less direct ways of making commands or requests that are formed with a fourth person subject. These sentences can be affirmative or negative. Below are examples of each of these:
Second Person Affirmation
| Shíká | ’anilyeed. |
| 1-for | 2-run.I |
| Help me. / You’re helping me. (lit. You’re running for me.) | |
Second Person Negation
Optative
| Mósí | ch’óółt’e’. |
| cat | out-3-2-take.Opt |
| Don’t put the cat out! (YMM 1992:882) [[CHECK with speakers]] | |
Optative + lágo
| Mósí | ch’óółt’e’ | lágo. |
| cat | out-3-2-carry.O | hope.not |
| Don’t put the cat out! / I hope you don’t put the cat out. | ||
t’áadoo V-í
| T’áadoo | ’anit’íní! |
| neg | 2-do.NI-Í |
| Don’t do that! | |
Fourth Person Affirmative
| Hatáaldi | jigháahgo | hozhdísin | łeh. |
| ceremony-at | 4-go.I-GO | 4-respect.NI | usually |
| One should be respectful when one goes to a ceremony. | |||
Fourth Person Negation
| Doo | ’ájíníi | da! |
| neg | 4-say.NI | -neg |
| One doesn’t say that! | ||
The imperfective mode yields an immediate imperative (i.e., something that requires immediate action), and the future mode is more likely to be used for commands that are less immediate. The optative mode is often used with imperative negations. See also Reichard (1951:137), YM (1987:204), and YMM (1992:881f.). YM (1987:204-5) presents examples of imperatives in numerous aspects. We do not repeat this work here but refer the reader to these sources.
In Navajo, commands seem to be indirect, arising by implication and inference. Sentences with fourth person subjects are often general statements about what constitutes good behavior. The person spoken to is left to infer that the reason the speaker chose to utter the general statement is to affect the hearer’s behavior. Hence, there can be an implication of a command. Statements using the optative mode with lágo express the hopes of the speaker (‘I hope you don’t do this’ or ‘I hope that doesn’t happen’). The behavior in question is understood to be inconsistent with the speaker's desires. If the speaker is in a position of authority, the result is an indirect imperative.
Glossing conventions and a note on morphology are here [link].
An example search has returned 50 entries
’Adą́ą́dą́ą́’ ’íítseedgo bee na’anishí hasht’enáshdlééh.
yesterday 1-pound.P-GO tool 3-1-put.back.IYesterday, I did silverwork, and now I’m putting my tools away.
bookmark- ’adą́ą́dą́ą́’ yesterdayfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’astsid pound, do silverworkfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -ee by means offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- hasht’enáshdlééh put backfind in Navajo Verb Modes
’Ahbínídą́ą́’ t’áadoo ’ííyą́ą́’góó biniinaa wónáásdóó dichin shi’niiłhį́.
morning-past NEG 1-eat.P-NEG.GO because soon hunger 1-3-kill.PBecause I did not eat this morning I am hungry now.
bookmark- ’ahbínídą́ą́’ this morningfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- t’áadoo notfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ashą́ eatfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- -niinaa because of, on account offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- wónáásdóó soon, finallyfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- sisxé killfind in Navajo Verb Modes
’Áłahji’ tó dilchxoshí síníł’ą́ą dooleeł.
always water popping-Í 3-2-keep.SPN will.be.Fbik’ídazhdidoodis
pl-3DO-4dpl-wrap.it.around.it.Fbik’ídóhdis
3DO-2dpl-wrap.it.around.it.IBįįh bił da’doółdǫǫh.
deer 3-with pl-2dpl-shoot.OCh’ééh jiyáán hastiin baa nahashniihgo ch’ééh ’ííł’įįd ’ahbínídą́ą́’.
watermelon man 3-from 3-1-buy.CI-GO tried in.vain 1-act.P morning-pastI tried in vain to buy a watermelon from a man this morning.
bookmark- Continuative Imperfective (CI)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- nahashniih buy, sellfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’asht’í actfind in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’ahbínídą́ą́’ this morningfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -aa tofind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
Chidí léi’ la’ ch’ééh dah diilyeed.
car because surprise in.vain up 3-go.IDah nóóljííd lágo.
up 2-jump.O don’tdajoodlą́ą́’
pl-3DO-4dpl-drink.it.Pdaohshóóh
pl-3DO-2dpl-brush/comb.it.Idaooshóó’
pl-3DO-2dpl-brush/comb.it.Pdeiidlą́ą́’
pl-3DO-1dpl-drink.it.PDibé ła’ yóó’ ’íínilgo k’adę́ę ’e’e’aahgo ch’ééh bíká naanááshwoł.
sheep some away 3-1-lose.P-GO almost evening in.vain 3-after 1-run.around.Pdidadołjeeh
pl-3DO-2dpl-start.fire.Idideidiłjeeh
pl-3DO-3dpl-start.fire.Ididínííłkał
3DO-2-start.to.herd.them.(animals).FDoo dibé ch’íi’niił da.
NEG sheep pl-3-2-du-take.out.I NEGHa’át’íí neidiyoołnih nínízin?
who 3-3-buy.F 2-think.NIHaa’íyee’ shimáyázhí daats’í ałtso ch’iyáán ’áyiilaa.
lets.see my-maternal.aunt finished food 3-3-making.PHada’niłhosh le’!
up-pl-3-3-bubble.up.CI LE’hadadiiltééł
pl-3DO-1dpl-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.Fhadazhdoołtééł
pl-3DO-4dpl-carry.him/her.up.out.of.something.Fjitł’ó
3DO-4-weave.it.IK’ad shicheii bíká ’iishyeed.
now 1-grandfather 3-for 1-run.INa’nízhoozhígóó chídí doo nił dah didoolwoł da.
Gallup-to car NEG 2-with up start-3.drive.F NEGYou will not go to Gallup with the car.
bookmark- Command, negative
- Future
- -góó to, toward, along, on, with a numeral it indicates a datefind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- -ił withfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- dah up at an elevation, off, static, holdingfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ’oolwoł drivefind in Navajo Verb Modes
nidasoolá
pl-3DO-2dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Pnideidooleeł
pl-3DO-3dpl-carry.a.ropelike.thing.around.Fnishóóh
3DO-2-brush/comb.it.INíwe, bíni’dii ’ałwosh!
stop 3-let 3-sleep.INíwe, k’ídíítih!
stop 3-2-break.SSO.INíwe, tʼáádoo ʼabeʼ tʼóó bee naninéʼhí. Hazhóʼó nidlą́.
stop NEG milk just 3-with 2-play.R-NEG properly 3-2-drink.IShiyáázh bighandi níyáá nít’ę́ę́’ t’áá ’íídą́ą́’ ’eelnish lá.
1-poss-little 3-home-at 1-go.P past just then 3-off.to.work.P DISCShį́įgo ch’ééh jiyáán yishį́į́h ’áádóó tó lą’í yishdlį́į́h.
summer-GO watermelon 3-1-eat.U and.then water lots 3-1-drink.UT’áá ká ’adinoólgháásh lágo.
neg 2-oversleep.O LÁGOT’áá ká ’adinoólgháásh.
neg 2-oversleep.OTó dílchxoshí sits’ą́ą́’ wóódlą́ą́’ lágo.
soda 1-from 3-1-drink.O don’tTsé’áándę́ę́’ dóó tsédáajį’ ninish’na’.
cave-from and cliff-to 1-crawl.PI crawled out of the cave and to the edge of the cliff.
bookmark- -dę́ę́’ from a general location or point in space or time, also out of, off offind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- dóó and, and thenfind in Navajo Conjunction Lexicon
- -jį́’ up to, as far asfind in Navajo Postposition Lexicon
- Perfective (P) (yi, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- ninish’nééh crawl to a pointfind in Navajo Verb Modes
yididoołhįh
3DO-3-melt.it.Fyiishjį́į́’
Perfective Mode: 1-become.black.PYishdlosh le’.
peg-1-trot.Prog LE’Yiską́ągo díí doo ’íídííłtah da. (K’ad tsxíiłgo ’ííníłta’.)
tomorrow this NEG 3-2-read.F NEG (now quickly 3-2-read.I)Don’t read this tomorrow. (Read it now.)
bookmark- Command, negative
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- Command, affirmative
- Imperfective
- yiską́ągo tomorrowfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- doo --- da frame to negativize verbs and phrasesfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Future (F)find in Navajo Verb Modes
- k’ad nowfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- tsxį́įłgo quickly, fastfind in Navajo Adverb Lexicon
- Imperfective (I) (∅, ni, si, yi-∅)find in Navajo Verb Modes




